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Showing posts with label Nima Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nima Review. Show all posts
Monday, July 22, 2013
Review: Making It Last by Ruthie Knox
Making It Last
Author: Ruthie Knox
Release Date: July 15, 2013
Publisher: Loveswept
Camelot Series, Book #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Novella
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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A hotel bar. A sexy stranger. A night of passion. There’s a part of Amber Mazzara that wants those things, wants to have a moment—just one—when life isn’t a complicated tangle of house and husband and kids and careers. Then, after a long, exhausting “vacation” with her family, her husband surprises her with a gift: a few days on the beach . . . alone.
Only she won’t be alone for long, because a handsome man just bought her a drink. He’s cool, he’s confident, and he wants to take Amber to bed and keep her there for days. Lucky for them both, he’s her husband. He’s got only a few days in Jamaica to make her wildest desires come true, but if he can pull it off, there’s reason to believe that this fantasy can last a lifetime.
What Nima’s talking about:
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Ruthie Knox has bookended her Camelot Series with Tony and Amber Mazzara’s story. Together the novellas represent the blissful beginning of their romance and then the reality of after “happily ever after.” Making It Last picks up Amber and Tony’s story fourteen years after the first book ends. We’ve seen them make guest appearances through sibling Caleb and Katie’s romances, but not enough to know more than the fact that they’re still married with children. We are allowed to assume that their love has given them the answers to wedded bliss, perfect hair, stress-free Christmases, a new car every five years, as well as expert parenting skills that make their lives the stuff of fantasy. So what’s there to write about? Knox bravely takes on the romance, or lack of it, inside of real married life.
I have to admit to a serious “This is Your Life” vibe that is no doubt coloring my glowing opinion of this story. I am an exercise instructor, stay-at-home mother of three high maintenance kids (including one with generalized anxiety disorder) who lives in a small suburb of Ohio, all things I share in common with lead character Amber. I even read the book at the beach with my family, not at a wedding, but a fiftieth wedding anniversary reunion. There are enough common markers, however, to give most married women with children that same feeling. We all struggle with fatigue, body image, being “the bad guy”, the economy, in-laws, eating all our fruits and vegetables, inconvenience, and guilt. We are also all human with finite resources and energy. Something’s gotta give.
Making It Last begins with Amber at one of those critical moments when if something doesn’t give, she will crack under the weight of her responsibilities… even when those responsibilities are desired blessings. I appreciate that Knox has woven her trademark humor into some serious themes and situations. It has always been my position that humor keeps us from becoming brittle, flexible enough to carry the stress of life without breaking into a thousand pieces. Knox treats the serious stuff with its proper due, it is poignant and thought-provoking, but it’s not over-worked into being a burden to read. Overall I found it to be a quick read, but one I wanted to return to again and again for validation and inspiration.
Especially significant to me as a reader was a personal note Knox tacked on to the end of the book. She talks candidly about some of the book’s themes and her belief in the romance of marriage. I’m giving this little novella my highest rating, which I rarely do, because it is difficult to write about this aspect of married life with authenticity, humor, and hope. We all love the newness of first love or the right love and the idea of finding our soulmate, but rediscovering the one you already have without being cheesy or cliché’ is a far greater challenge. Kudos Ms. Knox.
Nima’s Rating:
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Personal favorite - a must read (A+)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Labels:
5 stars,
Camelot Series,
contemporary romance,
Loveswept,
Nima Review,
novella,
Ruthie Knox
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1 comments
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Review: A Spy to Die For by Kris DeLake
A Spy to Die For
Author: Kris DeLake
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Assassins Guild Series #2
ISBN: #978-1402262852
Genre: Sci-fi Romance
Format(s): Paperback (320 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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Jack Hunter is a double agent. Skye Jones is a pirate...or is that just a cover? One thing is for sure—neither of them are competent assassins. Thrown together on the Krell space station during an important Assassins Guild meeting, each is determined to get to the truth and prevent catastrophe. But when Jack and Skye are matched against two master killers, they find themselves caught in the crosshairs between their willingness to trust each other and the undeniable attraction coursing through them. Both knows that a long-term relationship is tough in their profession, but the chemistry they've got is too good to deny. Now all they have to do is stay alive.
What Nima’s talking about:
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Kris DeLake is one of multiple pen names for multi-genre author Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Although it is the second book in the Assassins Guild Series, it does stand on its own as a single book read.
I felt the plot of A Spy to Die For was very weak. There is a single plot line which has a few periphery characters coming in and out of it, but we never leave the point of view of its two main characters, Sky and Jack. They are rival spies and they must decide if they should trust each other or not to survive and thwart and assassination plot. I wish I could say there were no spoilers there, but that’s the entire book in a nut shell. I wish there was more to review.
In lieu of the drama that could have been created by subplots, we get more sex. Was the sex good? Sure. Sweaty, playful, not overly graphic. Female-friendly. Overall, it is good—not bad, not great. It makes for a quick poolside read, but it was easy to put down and pick up again as was convenient. I was never compelled to get to the end or had to work at remembering where I was in the story.
Nima’s Rating:
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Liked it, but I had some issues (B)
Purchase Info:
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Review: Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox
Flirting with Disaster
Author: Ruthie Knox
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Publisher: Loveswept
Camelot Series #3
ISBN: #978-0345546661
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format(s): Paperback (448 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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Fresh out of a fiasco of a marriage, Katie Clark has retreated to her hometown to start over. The new Katie is sophisticated, cavalier, and hell-bent on kicking butt at her job in her brother’s security firm. But on her first assignment—digging up the truth about the stalker threatening a world-famous singer-songwriter—Katie must endure the silent treatment from a stern but sexy partner who doesn’t want her help . . . or her company.
Sean Owens knows that if he opens his mouth around Katie, she’ll instantly remember him as the geeky kid who sat behind her in high school. Silence is golden, but he can’t keep quiet forever, not with Katie stampeding through their investigation. It’s time for Sean to step up and take control of the case, and his decade-old crush. If he can break through Katie’s newfound independence, they just might find they make a perfect team—on the road, on the job, and in bed.
What Nima’s talking about:
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I have to say, I may not even be rational at reviewing Ruthie Knox any more, but I love being her cheerleader. She never fails to deliver. Flirting with Disaster is the third book in her Camelot series, and she’s proven, once again, her ability to put the reader at ease with humor and then dive in with a serious knife, cutting you to pieces with very real emotion. I want to be Ruthie Knox when I grow up.
The plot in this book, the series really, has been slightly more predictable than in previous offerings by Knox. There is a threat to one of the prominent characters, but it never felt like a real threat to me, I never felt the pressure of it; I was never really worried about something bad happening. That fact, however, becomes incidental to the genuinely intense emotion between the main characters whom I was worried about. Would they screw it up? Could they get out of their own heads enough to communicate? Communication itself was a legitimate challenge in a way that I’ve never seen presented in any other book.
The point of view flips back and forth between Katie Clark, Caleb’s younger sister from Along Came Trouble, and our unlikely hero, Sean Owens. Even in rapid fire situations, I didn’t get confused about who was thinking, acting, or speaking. I think I mention it only because it has been an issue in other books I’ve read lately and appreciated so much the clarity Knox gave me here.
Both of these characters are flawed, but exhibit such courage in taking on their problems (one sooner than the other) and working to make much needed changes in their lives. Sometimes those changes drive them apart and sometimes, wonderfully, they bring them closer together. Also, when you have two strong characters, sparks are bound to fly—even in the snow on the side of the road!
In an uncharacteristic move, Knox gives us an epilogue. I think I read somewhere that she hates them. I can’t find that reference now, so I could be totally off my rocker. That wouldn’t be a first with middle-age brain taking over my life. In this case, the epilogue makes sense. Once Katie and Owen know what happens next, we don’t need to see them make it happen; we just need to know how they felt about it. I for one, like being able to have just a little more happily ever after.
Nima’s Rating:
|
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Labels:
4 stars,
Camelot Series,
contemporary romance,
Loveswept,
Nima Review,
Ruthie Knox
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Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Review: Bronze Gods by A.A. Aguirre
Bronze Gods
Author: A.A. Aguirre
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Ace
Apparatus Infernum Novel #1
ISBN: #978-0425258194
Genre: Steampunk
Format(s): Paperback (336 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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Janus Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko work all hours in the Criminal Investigation Division, keeping citizens safe. He's a charming rogue with an uncanny sixth sense; she's all logic--and the first female inspector. Between his instincts and her brains, they collar more criminals than any other partnership in the CID.
Then they're assigned a potentially volatile case where one misstep could end their careers. At first, the search for a missing heiress seems straightforward, but when the girl is found murdered--her body charred to cinders--Mikani and Ritsuko's modus operandi will be challenged as never before. Before long, it's clear the bogeyman has stepped out of nightmares to stalk gaslit streets, and it's up to them to hunt him down. There's a madman on the loose, weaving blood and magic in an intricate, lethal ritual that could mean the end of everything...
What Nima’s talking about:
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Books like Bronze Gods by A.A. Aguirre remind me why I love science fiction so much. A. A. Aguirre is actually a pseudonym for Ann and her husband Andres Aguirre. I have previously read Ann’s Sirantha Jax Series, and I found her to be a wonderfully complex, chewy author. Her books are not fluffy poolside reads. These are the books you read when you want to leave your life, no, the planet, and escape to somewhere else completely. Needless to say I was anxious to get my hands on this first novel in the new Apparatus Infernum Series.
Bronze Gods was my first steampunk, and I have to give kudos to any husband and wife who can not only write together, but survive the process and still like each other enough to continue the series. Like in Ann’s previous books, I enjoyed an alternative world that isn’t simply explained to me. Blissfully, there was no info-dumping. The reader learns the rules, the economy, and even the slang of this alternative London by experiencing them through well-developed characters. Further, I have to respect writing that’s intelligent enough to make me go look up vocabulary words: atavistic, inchoate, and empyreal. Yes, now I’m making you go look them up.
Even though this falls clearly into the steampunk family, it includes paranormal elements of fae magic and mystery. Regardless of the genre, this is a crime novel. We have two inspectors, Janus Mikani, and Celeste Ritsuko, the first female inspector in the entire criminal division. She’s tough and extremely methodical. She’s had to be to fight her way up to inspector status in an unapologetically chauvinistic society. I liked her. Mikani is messy and impulsive—but he knows how to cook and that is always a saving quality in a would-be hero. This is not a romance, but there is most definitely a romance budding between Mikani and Ritsuko over the course of the novel. It’s an extremely slow burn that will probably take the length of the whole series to come into bloom. In this installment it becomes character depth and set dressing. Parts of the plot moved slowly, but to me it felt like the pace slowed deliberately for the sake of detail and introduction to the world the Aguirres created—detail which I believe will be important in future books.
Bronze Gods was truly an introductory book. We have a storyline that is resolved on the surface, but I came away from the book with more questions than answers—questions that I expect will be answered in future installments. The Aguirres are just too meticulous to leave any hanging threads. One niggling fact (and this was the single thing that kept me from giving the book a solid “A”) was the fact that the significance of the title was not explained to my satisfaction. I believe titles have value and should reflect something important about the book. In this case it is a reference to long gone history, and repeatedly used as a punctuating expression, but wasn’t tied into the story itself.
Book two in the series, Silver Mirrors, is due out sometime in May 2014.
Nima’s Rating:
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Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Review: Merger to Marriage by Addison Fox
Merger to Marriage
Author: Addison Fox
Release Date: May 13, 2013
Publisher: Entangled
Boardrooms and Billionaires #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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One night of passion…
Mayson McBride has spent the last decade restoring her family’s magazine empire with her two sisters. She loves what she does, but she can’t shake the feeling something’s missing. Which is why she jumps at the chance–incognito–for a single night of no-strings-attached sex with Holt Turner.
A once in a lifetime connection…
Holt’s been unable to forget the woman he shared one night of explosive passion, and he’s thrilled to get reacquainted with her at a weekend house party. What he doesn’t expect are the immediate feelings of need and desire–emotions he keeps firmly in check–upon their reunion.
A forever commitment…
When Mayson and Holt’s single night together leads to unexpected consequences, both must decide what matters most. Especially when a threat from Holt’s past promises to ruin their relationship before it’s barely begun.
What Nima’s talking about:
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At under 150 pages, Merger to Marriage, the second book in Addison Fox’s Boardrooms and Billionaires series is better classified as a novella. It’s the perfect happy ending for an afternoon at the pool, two taekwondo classes, or three when-are-they-ever-going-to-let-them-out-of-this-show-choir-rehearsal’s?! Unfortunately, it also means that there isn’t a whole lot here to review.
The Boardrooms and Billionaires series follows the three McBride sisters. Merger to Marriage focuses on the youngest sister, Mayson McBride whose natural instincts for visual composition make her the perfect person to lead the design department of their family magazine empire. The story starts with instant chemistry between Mayson and Holt Turner at the wedding of Mayson’s oldest sister Keira to one time business rival Nathan Cooper. While this can be hold its own as a stand-alone book, I was missing some of the McBride family background I suspect was in book one, Tempting Acquisitions (which I did not read). Mayson often justifies keeping Holt at arm’s length based on this background and even though we are aware of it, I felt very little connection to it.
I wanted more connection. I liked these characters. They were genuine and real to me, especially Holt who had some significant mommy issues. Even if the resolution of the problems she caused was a little predictable, it was fun to see it come to fruition.
Something I found odd was the lack of power and wealth displayed as assumed by the series title. This is a romance, no question, and that is where the focus is, but for a billionaire courting a magazine magnet, there were no helicopter rides, or outrageously expensive fashions. The most we got was some very pricey wine which was critical to Mayson and Holt’s initial meeting and a mansion in the country. If we’re going to have this kind of fantasy set-up, then flaunt it.
Addison Fox proved that she’s a good writer in her Alaskan Nights series, capable of creating wonderful interactions and relationships. The intimate scenes are sexy, well done. I would have been very happy to have another 150 pages, however, to add the overall depth that was lacking for me. What is there is good, liked it a lot. I just wanted more.
Nima’s Rating:
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Liked it a lot - recommend (B+)
Purchase Info:
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Review: Love Irresistibly by Julie James
Love Irresistibly
Author: Julie James
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Publisher: Berkley
FBI/U.S. Attorney Series #4
ISBN: #978-0425251195
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format(s): Paperback (304 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher/ NetGalley
About the book:
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HE’S USED TO GETTING WHAT HE WANTS…
A former football star and one of Chicago’s top prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cade Morgan will do anything to nail a corrupt state senator, which means he needs Brooke Parker’s help. As general counsel for a restaurant company, she can get a bug to the senator’s table at one of her five-star restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him. All Cade has to do is convince Brooke to cooperate—and he’s not afraid to use a little charm, or the power of his office, to do just that.
AND WHAT HE WANTS IS HER
A savvy businesswoman, Brooke knows she needs to play ball with the U.S. Attorney’s office—even if it means working with Cade. No doubt there’s a sizzling attraction beneath all their sarcastic quips, but Brooke is determined to keep things casual. Cade agrees—until a surprising turn of events throws his life into turmoil, and he realizes that he wants more than just a good time from the one woman with whom he could fall terrifyingly, irresistibly in love...
A savvy businesswoman, Brooke knows she needs to play ball with the U.S. Attorney’s office—even if it means working with Cade. No doubt there’s a sizzling attraction beneath all their sarcastic quips, but Brooke is determined to keep things casual. Cade agrees—until a surprising turn of events throws his life into turmoil, and he realizes that he wants more than just a good time from the one woman with whom he could fall terrifyingly, irresistibly in love...
What Nima’s talking about:
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I am new to Julie James’ books, although she has earned a loyal and enthusiastic following among contemporary romance readers. Like Kathy Reichs and Jessica Scott, I appreciate authors who have professional knowledge of their characters’ world. James didn’t just plunk hunky Cade Morgan into the U.S. Attorney’s office; James is an attorney and brings her experience with the legal system to her FBI/U.S. Attorney series giving it a unique authenticity.
Love Irresistibly is book four in the series. While characters from previous books do make appearances, it is a book that can stand on its own. Don’t avoid it because it’s number four. There are a lot of things about this book that could have made it cliché, but James’ writing rises above that. Her main characters are genuinely clever people. The resulting banter is smart, something that can be difficult to achieve in dialog alone. The predominant obstacle in this novel is that these two are workaholics. Their careers are on the rise and they’re not about to slow the assent for something as distracting as a romance.
As their paths cross through their jobs, they must deal with each other. If they had met sooner, there would have been chemistry, but no romance. James has brought them together at the right time and in the right place for this love story to have its chance. They are both used to being in control with their work and all aspects of their lives. They must both let down carefully fortified walls if they are to going make it work. The forced interaction pressures them each to ask questions and examine the work/life balance of their individual lives, a dilemma with which I think many readers can identify, especially working women.
Supporting their story is a backdrop of family and friends who make this story believable. They have depth, they are inconvenient, they are supportive, and in Cade and Brooke’s business. The are not just set dressing. Like real couples, Cade and Brooke bring some legitimate baggage to the table. Not only must they deal with letting down their own walls, they must deal with the other one’s history. This, for me, raised the caliber of the story-telling—all together—irresistible.
Nima’s Rating:
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Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)
Purchase Info:
Monday, April 1, 2013
Review: Lush by Lauren Dane
Lush
Author: Lauren Dane
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Publisher: Berkley Trade
The Delicious Series #3
ISBN: # 978-0425256084
Genre: Contemporary Erotica
Format(s): Paperback (320 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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Mary Whaley has her hands full running a successful catering company and overseeing her supper club. She has everything she ever wanted—or so she thought. When she meets ridiculously hot and very dirty rock star Damien Hurley at her friend’s engagement party, the attraction she feels is overpowering—and she isn’t about to deny herself.
Damien is used to a hard and fast life. He and two of his brothers started a band when they were fresh out of high school—then they hit the big time and stayed there. He’s also a legendary madman on the stage and in the bedroom. But when he meets Mary, something clicks, and the bad boy starts thinking he may have finally found something good.
What begins as a series of fleeting trysts soon gets much more complicated. Damien can’t figure out why Mary doesn’t want more from him. And before long, it’s Damien who wants more from Mary. But it turns out Mary is no stranger to celebrity news, and he’s got a very big job ahead of him: proving that he’s worth more than a one-night stand…
What Nima’s talking about:
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Lush visits the next member in a group of friends who call themselves “Delicious” in the Delicious Series. It lays out the relationship of Mary Whaley, the younger sister of Cal Whaley who found his happily ever after with Mary’s friend Juliet (and Gideon Carter in a three-way relationship) in the previous book, Tart. The course of this book reverses the traditional romance where a couple moves slowly from shy glances across a crowded room to steamy and can’t live without the other sort of fairytale.
Instead, Mary is immediately attracted to bad-boy rocker Damien Hurley and gives herself up to a hot and heavy one night stand. She tells herself that she’s too busy building her catering company to nurture a relationship, but still has “needs.” Damien Hurley is just the right guy to scratch that itch. Over the course of the story it goes from all about the physical chemistry to deeper, sweeter emotions. The story does develop a kind of depth that is missing at the beginning of the book.
It would seem that Lush has a lot of elements which make it easy to want to read: great food (I got hungry reading it) steamy sex, celebrity, ease with money, and supportive people who love you. It’s those same elements, however, that make a significant depth difficult to develop—the characters don’t really struggle with anything except themselves. In fact, as characters, they had nothing in common except their mutual attraction to each other. The emphasis at the outset on the physical connection makes it an unemotional read. By the time the characters develop deeper feelings, I was already over it. It would have made a better TV movie than book.
At its core, Lush is about trust, trust in oneself and trust in someone else. I felt Mary should have given Damien more of the benefit of the doubt when push came to shove. Mary proved herself in the previous books to be too smart to have the self-doubts she had during Lush. Her behavior at the story’s climax was immature and a little baffling. Only the intervention of certain family members brought back my attention and their part was too short. I would have loved to have seen that portion of the book expanded. The plot had a lot of potential, but it didn't really reach down deep enough to satisfy me. Overall, it wasn’t a bad book, in fact, it was better than Tart in my opinion, it just wasn’t a good book either.
Nima’s Rating:
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Liked it, but I had some issues - recommend (B)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Review: The Charmed Fates by Christine Wenrick
The Charmed Fates
Author: Christine Wenrick
Release Date: Feb. 18, 2013
Publisher: Red Treehouse Publishing
The Charmed Trilogy, Books #3
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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“You think you know him better than I do? Interesting . . . and so boringly human.”
Over a year has passed since Olivia Ann Greyson discovered that she is a Charmer, a Dhampir fated to be part of the violent supernatural world that surrounds our human one. In that time, she has strengthened herself physically, learned of her family’s secret past, and found a deep and abiding love with the strongest man she has ever met, Daywalker Caleb Wolfe. But Olivia’s biggest challenge still lies ahead of her . . .
Dark vampire lord Luther Davin has been obsessed with capturing Olivia so he can use her special gifts for his own reasons. As Caleb and Olivia try to make a new life together with their coven, the Nightwalker’s attempts to capture her only intensify and inadvertently bring an unwelcome visitor from Caleb’s past barging back into his life.
She is Caelestis—Celeste to the modern world—and she claims to be Caleb’s first and rightful mate. Although Olivia has grown confident and secure in her relationship with Caleb, she soon realizes that Celeste sees herself as no less than a Goddess among mere mortals and will stop at nothing to get Caleb back—which means Olivia herself must die!
When these two threats collide and fate steps in to pull Olivia away from her new family, will she be ready for her darkest hour and her greatest battle?
When these two threats collide and fate steps in to pull Olivia away from her new family, will she be ready for her darkest hour and her greatest battle?
What Nima’s talking about:
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The Charmed Fates is the third book in The Charmed Trilogy. The books are a consecutive read and need to be consumed in order. It’s tough to give a fair review this final installment without spoilers, but here goes. Overall, I liked the series, and I liked this book. It was very well developed for a debut author, and I think worth the time investment.
The story begins slowly while Wenrick gives us a little time to enjoy the hard won domestic bliss from the first two books. Then there is a lot, perhaps too much in my opinion, of everyone trying to protect everyone else. It was obvious to me that they needed to work together, and I admit to some impatience, but this is how characters grow. They do get there eventually. The action and tension of the story are strengths of Wenrick’s writing, which builds to a satisfactory conclusion.
The only two real criticisms I have in an otherwise terrific tale are regarding the disposition of two particular characters. Caelestis or Celeste, is Caleb’s ex-mate. She had the potential to be the source of much more humor or much more evil. I felt she was under-utilized. The second character was Luther Davin. His connection with Olivia has run through all three books. In The Charmed Fates his truly evil nature comes to full light, and when we arrived at the ultimate conflict, it seemed slightly anti-climatic. I expected it to be more drawn out.
There is less sex this go-around, but it’s still hot and timely. It feels natural to the flow of the story, not like the characters are being forced “get it on” because they haven’t in so many pages. Olivia’s music does still play a role in her relationships and personal growth as well.
Lycans were peripheral to the overall story arc, and I felt they should have been a stronger presence in the climactic scenes. However, the excerpt from the first book in Wenrick’s next series, The Men of Brahm Hill, which builds on the foundation of The Charmed Trilogy, suggests we’ll get to know them better. The Charmed Fates ends Olivia and Caleb’s story, but I have no doubt they’ll appear in future stories as Wenrick explores the world and characters she has created. There is a significant depth there to be mined.
Nima’s Rating:
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Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Monday, March 11, 2013
Review: Along Came Trouble by Ruthie Knox
Along Came Trouble
Author: Ruthie Knox
Release Date: March 11, 2013
Publisher: Random House/ Loveswept
Camelot Series #2
ISBN: #978-0345541611
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format(s): e-book (350 pgs)
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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An accomplished lawyer and driven single mother, Ellen Callahan isn’t looking for any help. She’s doing just fine on her own. So Ellen’s more than a little peeved when her brother, an international pop star, hires a security guard to protect her from a prying press that will stop at nothing to dig up dirt on him. But when the tanned and toned Caleb Clark shows up at her door, Ellen might just have to plead the fifth.
Back home after a deployment in Iraq and looking for work as a civilian, Caleb signs on as Ellen’s bodyguard. After combat in the hot desert sun, this job should be a breeze. But guarding the willful beauty is harder than he imagined—and Caleb can’t resist the temptation to mix business with pleasure. With their desires growing more undeniable by the day, Ellen and Caleb give in to an evening of steamy passion. But will they ever be able to share more than just a one-night stand?
What Nima’s talking about:
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After finishing Along Came Trouble, I think we may have to officially classify me as a Ruthie Knox groupie. Her contemporary romance novels are clever, funny, sophisticated, and well, let’s just put it out there—hot. Along Came Trouble is the romance of Clark sibling number two, Caleb. It is set some years after Amber and Tony find their happily ever after in How to Misbehave. In fact, they have three kids when they show up near the end of Caleb’s story. This particular tale is the one that Knox says was the impetus for the whole Camelot Series and started with a lazy daydream about Justin Timberlake. That’s as promising an inspiration as I’ve ever heard.
The book opens with single mom Ellen Callahan, resident of Camelot, Ohio, entirely annoyed by some stranger in her flower beds. Ellen’s brother Jamie just happens to be a mega-famous international pop star—and he’s in love with Ellen’s pregnant next door neighbor Carly. Caleb, hunky ex-military police with his own security company, has been hired to ensure Ellen’s safety and privacy when the paparazzi descends on the little hamlet of Camelot in search of a story about her, her son, or her famous by association neighbor.
I liked Caleb. His stern military edges are softened by the way he cares for his aging parents and his family. He helps maintain his parents’ rental property, opened his own home to his sister Katie following a devastating break-up, and oh, did I mention he’s great with kids? What’s not to like? Ellen is harder to like. She’s had plenty of legitimate heartache and fought hard to achieve her independence, but she’s emotionally damaged. She’s bravely picked herself up and carved out a new life for herself and her two year old son following her divorce from his cheating, alcoholic father. She likes, no needs, her world well-ordered and uses hard boundaries to keep it that way. Caleb not only messes with her property, he’s messes with her boundaries.
There is a secondary romance here between Ellen’s brother Jamie and her neighbor Carly. This is the source of much of the book’s humor. Ellen could have used a little more of it. She often takes out her frustrations and insecurities on Caleb when they might have been better directed at her brother who hired him in the first place. This is probably the only thing that kept me from giving this book all five stars. True to form however, Knox does deliver an outstanding ending. This is something that I think sets her apart from other contemporary romance authors. She always makes it worth the effort.
Katie’s story, Flirting with Disaster, is due out in June of this year.
Nima’s Rating:
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Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
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